Friday, March 15, 2013

Archaeologists have uncovered 20 Stone-Age skeletons in and around a rock shelter in Libya's Sahara desert, according to a new study. Skeletons dating back between 8,000 and 4,200 years have been discovered in the desert in Libya.
Archaeologists believe that the site was a burial ground used for 4,000 years and must have maintained long-term significance with the local people. 20 skeletons were uncovered in total, 15 of which were buried around 8,000 years ago and a further five around 4,200 years ago underneath large stone heaps. At the time of these burials the Sahara was more temperate than it is now with seasonal green patches and support for animal herding.
"It must have been a place of memory," said study co-author Mary Anne Tafuri. "People throughout time have kept it, and they have buried their people, over and over, generation after generation.".